IC-Europe has formally written to the European Commission to state its intention to seek the development of a harmonised European standard (hEN) for 3D volumetric modular construction under the new Construction Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 – CPR) – Standardisation Request Route.
While the concept sounds technical, the objective is straightforward: if Europe wants to manufacture more buildings in factories, expand housing supply, and build a competitive offsite sector, it requires a common technical language.
Today, a 3D volumetric modular system manufactured in one Member State often faces differing national requirements, assessment routes, and regulatory expectations in another. This technical fragmentation hinders manufacturers from scaling investments, limits cross-border trade, and prevents Europe from leveraging its greatest asset: the European Single Market.
What Are We Proposing?
IC-Europe is advocating for a dedicated harmonised European standard for 3D volumetric modular construction—buildings created using factory-manufactured three-dimensional modules, transported to site, and assembled.
The technology, capability, and manufacturing facilities already exist across Europe. What is missing is a unified European technical framework. Under the CPR, a harmonised standard establishes a common approach to assess and declare system performance across all Member States, replacing fragmented national approaches with a single technical language.
The Route Under the New CPR and the Urgency of Time
The new CPR establishes a process to identify regulatory needs through the CPR Working Plan (2026–2029), supported by the CPR Acquis Expert Group. The formal Standardisation Request originates from the European Commission, with technical standards subsequently developed through the European standardisation system. This is the official process IC-Europe is seeking to initiate.
However, standardisation typically takes years—time that Europe’s housing sector does not have. Europe is confronting an urgent housing shortage alongside skilled labor shortages, low productivity, rising costs, and decarbonization targets.
IC-Europe believes that standardisation for 3D volumetric construction must be treated as a priority. Rather than sequential procedures, the process must be accelerated through early, structured collaboration between the European Commission, Member States, CEN, manufacturers, and technical experts—reusing existing research, testing, and technical data.
Why Market Scale Matters for Housing
Investing tens of millions of euros in automated offsite factories requires stable project pipelines beyond single national borders. A manufacturer in one Member State should be able to operate smoothly across neighboring European markets, and vice versa.
Harmonisation does not mean replacing national building codes; Member States retain authority over local building requirements. Instead, it provides a unified technical language to evaluate and declare product performance, enabling safe, high-performing systems to scale across borders.
Factory production relies on scale; scale requires market access; and a European market requires common technical rules. Standardisation is a vital step toward establishing modular construction as a mainstream pillar of European building delivery.
Calling Industry Leaders to Action
IC-Europe has taken the initial step by engaging the European Commission, but industry alignment is essential to build the technical case and accelerate progress.
We invite manufacturers, developers, architects, engineers, contractors, technical assessment bodies, research institutions, and public authorities to join IC-Europe. Together, we will shape the evidence and technical positioning for the European process.
One industry. One European market. A common technical language.